Coyote's deadly attack on cat spurs concern in Torrance neighborhood

Awakened at 4 a.m. Thursday by the family dogs barking, Steven Rime figured it was one of the usual triggers -- a skunk or opossum or raccoon passing through the neighborhood on the border of Torrance and Redondo Beach.

"Living in the (Hollywood) Riviera we end up with varmints of all kinds," Rimes said. "But my wife looks outside and on our front lawn we have a gray coyote of about 80 to 100 pounds -- big ears -- eating the neighbor's cat."

Rime, who owns Keller Williams Realty Los Angeles South Bay and lives in the lower section of Hollywood Riviera near Pacific Coast Highway and Prospect Avenue, watched in horror as the animal enjoyed its predawn meal.

"He didn't eat a small cat, he ate the fattest cat on the block. That cat had to weigh 15-20 pounds," he said. "The disturbing part was listening to the crunch of the bones. That wolf ate everything."

But not quite everything -- Rime was left with some cleanup to do in the morning after he broke the news to his neighbors.

Tempted to grab his son's baseball bat as the grisly scene unfolded outside his house, he said he reconsidered as he took note of the animal's size.

"He was probably 3 feet tall to the ears," he said. "He looked very stout."

It's the latest of what have been periodic coyote sightings throughout the South Bay in recent years.

The wild scavengers -- known also as the American jackal, brush wolf or prairie wolf -- are indigenous to the West and, for the most part, pose no threat to human beings.

But their presence has unnerved residents in several local communities, including Carson and San Pedro, where they've most often preyed on feral cats and household pets, sometimes scaling tall backyard fences in search of food. Coyotes also attacked goats kept for weed control some years ago on vacant parcels between Western Avenue and North Gaffey Street in San Pedro.

In 2008, two coyotes reportedly killed a cat during the early morning hours near Pacific Coast Highway off Crenshaw Boulevard in south Torrance. "This is a first for Torrance," Torrance animal control administrator Patrick Wren said at the time in a Sept. 10, 2008, article in the Daily Breeze.

While coyote sightings since then have been reported in Torrance, they're not particularly common, said David LaPlante, supervisor for Torrance Animal Control. Most of the coyotes probably come from the hillsides that border Torrance and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, he said.

"We infrequently get calls about coyotes," LaPlante said. "They live here and they come in and out of the city. ... Train tracks that go through the city are a great (coyote travel) corridor, and we've had reports (of coyotes) at Madrona and Maple where they have horse stables and train tracks. But it's infrequent, we only get calls a few times a year.

"They're hungry and they're looking for (food)," LaPlante said, noting the animals come out at night, and tend to be quiet. "Unfortunately, most cats are outdoor cats and are easy prey."

There has never been a report of a coyote attack on a human in the city, he said, although a 2-year-old girl was bitten twice by a coyote on July 18 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress some 25 miles away.

In a research paper presented at the 69th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in 2004, several university wildlife researchers reported that coyote attacks on humans were increasing.

"Coyotes inhabiting (Southern California) wildlands are drawn into suburban landscaped environments that can support an abundance of rodents and rabbits, and where they can utilize water sources, pet food, household refuse and even house cats and small dogs as prey," they wrote in the report titled "Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem."

"Our observations indicate that in the absence of harassment by residents, coyotes can lose their fear of people and come to associate humans with this safe, resource-rich environment. This problem is exacerbated by people who intentionally feed coyotes," the report states. "In such situations, some coyotes have begun to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children."

Attacks on humans, the report says, appeared to begin in the late 1970s.

The animals also can pose a health risk.

But wildlife groups such as Project Coyote argue that America's native wild "song dog" is a vital part of both rural and urban environments and that safe coexistence with people should always be the goal of dealing with nature.

Rime reported the coyote incident Thursday to the police and animal control but was told Torrance also follows the policy of educating the public. Websites provide such tips as keeping pets indoors, especially at night, and never leaving food or water outside.

Cats are a common meal for coyotes, but small dogs also are at risk. And there can be territorial disputes between coyotes and large dogs defending their properties.

Rime said his wife was told by one city official that "groups" of coyotes have been spotted as far inside Torrance city limits as near the busy intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Anza Avenue.

"I'm concerned," Rime said, noting that he's noticed a number of "missing cat" posters in his neighborhood recently. "Any coyotes running wild through the streets is not a good thing" for pets or children.

"The problem is that there are more and more people and less space for the wildlife, so there's always going to be a conflict," LaPlante said.